MONICA DAWSON(Dana Davis)Monica enters in episode 4 from New Orleans with an unspecified ability. She works to support her brother and grandmother (Star Trek‘s Uhura, Nichelle Nichols) and develops a bond with her cousin Micah (Noah Gray-Cabey). ”She’s a good girl with a good heart,” says Davis (The Nine). ”Her life’s been taken from her, and she’s looking for a way out.”

ELLE(Kristen Bell) Described by Tim Kring as ”a little unstable” and ”a cautionary tale of what our Heroes could become,” Elle has ties to the Petrelli clan, H.R.G., and Claire. ”Elle has trouble knowing right from wrong. She holds a piece of Claire’s future,” says Bell, who admits, ”Heroes was the watercooler discussion at Veronica Mars.”

TEKEZO KENSEI(David Anders)Yes, the pasty-skinned Anders is playing Hiro’s childhood idol, who according to history books is supposed to be a noble hero. Except, in reality, ”he is a drunk Englishman and a hired hitman, essentially,” says Anders (Alias). But he does have powers, and when they’re revealed, Kring says, ”they’ll have major ramifications for the entire Heroes world.”

MAYA HERRERA(Dania Ramirez)In true ”Wonder Twin powers — activate!” fashion, the abilities possessed by twins Maya and Alejandro work in tandem. Ramirez (X-Men: The Last Stand) was actually unfamiliar with Heroes when she auditioned, but got hooked when she did her homework. ”I couldn’t leave my house. My dog was looking at me like ‘Please walk me.”’

ALEJANDRO HERRERA(Shalim Ortiz)As we meet Alejandro and Maya, they’re on the run from the law, forced to flee the Dominican Republic because of the destructive nature of their powers. ”We are harming a lot of people with whatever it is that goes on with us,” says Ortiz. ”We are on our way to the U.S. so we can get answers. Our story starts with a punch.”